Highland Park, NJ: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Highland Park is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Highland Park in the 62th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 62% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Highland Park compares

USGS's underlying values for Highland Park: 0.157g peak ground acceleration, 0.26g at short period, 0.056g at 1 second. Within New Jersey alone, Highland Park ranks 115 of 194 cities by seismic hazard - the 41th percentile in-state. Highland Park has a population of about 15,386.

What a retrofit costs in Highland Park

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by New Jersey specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in New Jersey.

What this means for insurance

A Highland Park homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Highland Park's figures come from

Highland Park's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about Highland Park.